Schweizer Hagel Uses Weather Data From Meteomatics To Calculate Environmental Risk to Agricultural Crops

Weather has a direct impact on the success of agricultural operations. It determines the yield potential and, in the worst-case scenario, can result in complete crop losses due to severe weather events or drought. Schweizer Hagel provides insurance coverage for agricultural businesses with the help of weather data from Meteomatics. In this article, you will discover how Schweizer Hagel uses our data to assess risks and determine insurance premiums while enhancing its operational efficiency.

Schweizer Hagel provides extensive insurance coverage for agricultural crops across Switzerland, as well as in neighboring countries such as France and Italy. To ensure that the insurance coverage is tailored to the specific risks and equitable for policyholders, Schweizer Hagel relies on accurate local weather information. This information must also be available in historical time series spanning up to 30 years. Parameters related to drought, heavy rain, hailstorms, lightning, and storms are particularly relevant for the risk analysis of potential damage to agricultural crops.

Weather Data Are Crucial for the Core Activities of Schweizer Hagel

Weather data is, therefore, an essential requirement for the insurance company to calculate and adjust premiums in a risk-appropriate and equitable manner based on the weather risk in a specific area. Accurately determining the premium amount is crucial for two reasons. Firstly, policyholders have the option to select insurance with the lowest possible premiums, making the premium level competitive among other insurance providers. Secondly, in the event of a claim, the premiums must be adequate to cover the insured losses. Excessively high premiums can lead customers to switch to competitors, while premiums that are too low may result in a lack of funds to cover arising claims. Therefore, the fair and risk-appropriate determination of premiums is absolutely vital for the success of insurance companies.

Schweizer Hagel Was Looking For Flexibility and Reliable Customer Service

To address this challenge effectively, Schweizer Hagel sought a dependable weather data solution that not only encompasses all crucial weather parameters but also enables flexible data access. Of particular importance was the ability to access historical weather data, as it plays a central role in risk assessment. Additionally, Schweizer Hagel sought a provider that, alongside data diversity and flexibility, offered reliable customer service capable of promptly and proficiently addressing specific issues and inquiries.

Meteomatics Was the Logical Choice for Schweizer Hagel

Schweizer Hagel selected Meteomatics based on its specific requirements. The Meteomatics Weather API offers flexible and rapid access to a wide range of weather data, including historical records, current conditions, and forecasts. All the desired data can be seamlessly integrated into Schweizer Hagel's internal systems and workflows through a single interface.

Guendalina Barloggio, research associate at Schweizer Hagel, highlights the added value of integrating the Meteomatics Weather API, stating, "Right from the start, we were impressed by the extensive historical time series and the comprehensive spatial coverage of the weather data. Moreover, retrieving data through the API is remarkably straightforward and allows for rapid access to large volumes of data in various formats, catering to our current needs. This has streamlined our work processes and increased efficiency. The exceptional customer service provided by Meteomatics completes the package. We are highly satisfied with Meteomatics' solution and would readily recommend it to other insurance companies.

Schweizer Hagel Provides a Weather Portal for Agricultural Customers

In addition to risk analysis and assessment, Schweizer Hagel leverages Meteomatics' weather data for its Swiss Agro Index customer portal. This portal serves as a weather service for interested users, enabling policyholders to visualize and interact with various weather data and products on a map. It empowers customers to evaluate the risk of weather events concerning their crops and, if necessary, incorporate them into their management strategies. The portal also facilitates the analysis of weather anomalies (deviations from the long-term average), frost and heat days, as well as drought monitoring. The portal is publicly accessible via the following link: https://swissagroindex.hagel.ch/.

Good Communication as the Basis for a Successful Partnership

In addition to the extensive range of data and the user-friendly nature of the weather API, Schweizer Hagel is highly impressed by Meteomatics' communication and customer service. Guendalina Barloggio states, "Our interactions with Meteomatics have always been professional, and their response times have been quick. They have effectively addressed our concerns, and we have consistently felt well supported." Schweizer Hagel has been a partner of Meteomatics since January 2022 and looks ahead with great confidence to the upcoming years and the continued collaboration with Meteomatics.